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We want to start cellular services next year in some of the places: P.S. Saran

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CIOL Bureau
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By Puneeet K.



How is DTS different from DoT?





Earlier, DoT was involved in licensing, services, and policy making. The National Telecom Policy 1999 (NTP '99) has however, clearly spelt out that the services arm should be separated and corporatized. As the interim measure, the idea was to have a separate department, which should exclusively be looking after planning, management, development, HRD issues of services segment. All the activities involving planning to deployment is now under DTS. All the PSUs, which are essentially into services will be under DTS.





How do you see the DTS structure evolving in near future?





DTS is a separate department and as happens with any new department, here too, some streamlining needs to be done. But eventually as per the NTP '99, this arm of services provisioning has to be corporatized and the target set is 2001. Next year onwards, there will be a separate budget for DTS and the majority of the staff (approximately four lakh) will come under purview of DTS.





You said the PSUs will come under your purview. However, ITI and HTL are hesitant. Please explain.

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According to the initial document, these two PSUs were also expected to be under DTS. But, of late, it is being thought that these manufacturing units should remain under DoT for better management. Only services units should be a part of DTS.





What is your personal opinion on the debate?



I do not see any debate here and have no objections in letting these units remaining under DoT.





What are the immediate priorities of DTS?





DTS has to register a higher growth. We have been growing at 22 per cent per annum. Last year we provided 3.8 million telephones. This year we plan to add 4.55 million telephones and next year this number should increase to 5.4 to 5.5 million.

Also, by January 26 next year, we intend to put an Internet node in all secondary switching centres and Internet service will be available in all the districts. Besides, it is our endeavour to start cellular services during first half of next year in at least some of the places. Two, other areas, which are of immediate importance, include connectivity in rural areas and customer services. The ministry of communications has already formed a committee for rural telephone development under the chairmanship of Tapan Sikdar, minister of state for communications. On the customer front a massive improvement is planned. It includes orientation training of our customer-end staff, pagers-to-line personnel in all state capital, etc.





Will there not be a clash of interest with you being both secretary, DTS and member (services) Telecom Commission?

Its true now I wear two hats. But the majority of my work will be as secretary of DTS.

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